A Tribute To Harley
Harley was a very special dog in our lives. I will never forget the first time I saw him. Sonny and I were shopping at Twin City Pet Supply and when I turned a corner, I saw this large beast standing in the aisle. Attached to this beast was Jim. Jim and I started a conversation about Bouviers (at this time, Harley could care less about any of us, he was busy trying to get the spilled dog food under the shelves). We exchanged names and phone numbers, then got together with our spouses and dogs for a few walks. Over the years we have developed a very special friendship.
Harley has stayed in our home several times when Ann and Jim have traveled. He had several favorite sleeping spots where he patiently waited for their return, or dinner, which ever came first. When Kevin and I took the dogs for a walk, we would literally slow down traffic. People would stop and stare, and sometimes roll down their windows to ask questions. His presence was noticed by many people.
Harley's love of food and his quest to eat it has always been a great source of amusement for us. We will never tire of hearing food stories about Harley. The first time he stayed with us, he woke us up at 4:00 a.m. We thought he had to go outside. It turned out that he was trying to tell us that he wanted his breakfast. Fortunately, Ann had told Diane to tell Harley "It's not time yet", when he pulled this. It worked like a charm. Of course, he tried every 30 minutes after that just to make sure he didn't miss feeding "time". One day when he was staying at our house, we had left 3 dozen hamburger buns in my spare room. Harley somehow got into this closed room and devoured 2 of the packages. He was starting on the third package when we found two empty plastic bags.
Harley always stood out in a crowd. If Sonny & Harley were out in public together, children would almost always approach Harley first. Many of them would comment that he "looks just like a bear!". Whenever Sonny & I would visit a hospital that Harley had been to (and assuming he wasn't along on that particular visit), the staff would always say something like "gee, that dog looks just like Harley only smaller" or " we had a dog in here last month that looked just like that only it was much bigger, is that the same breed?".
Sonny and Harley had their own ways to communicate. She appeared to be the 'boss' in their relationship. Harley would just follow her around and do anything that she told him. You would have to be around these two to see this. Sonny was not herself during the first few days of his passing. We truly believe that she knew that he was gone. We are sincerely glad that Harley was a part of our lives. Harley was a unique dog and we will deeply miss him.
Diane, Kevin and Sonny
Well, here I am, now take me to the patients!
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